Hundred Years War – 1337

Hundred Years War

1337-1453 – The Kingdoms of England and France wage war for over a century for control of the French throne.

In a series of huge battles, the outnumbered English forces use technological superiority (most notably their widespread employment of the longbow) to gain control of large portions of France.

But their gains are short-lived. France is the most powerful kingdom in Western Europe and eventually prevails, throwing the English out of France and firmly establishing the national borders that have not changed much in five centuries. The Hundred Years’ War helped forge the national identities of England and France.